The World's Best Book Summaries
Who is Robert Axelrod? How does his simulation of the Prisoner’s dilemma explain survival tactics in nature? Robert Axelrod created a tournament in which programmers designed a program to respond to the Prisoner’s Dilemma. The lessons learned showed how species might balance cooperation and competition to reach an Evolutionarily Stable Strategy. Read more about Robert Axelrod and the application of the Prisoner’s Dilemma to evolution.
Why do animals choose to reproduce and why do they choose to control birth rates? What are the different theories of reproduction and birth control that explain these behaviors? Theories of reproduction consider altruistic and selfish reasons for foregoing reproduction and using birth control. The Wynne-Edwards theory argues that there are natural rules for keeping animal populations in check. Read on to understand theories of reproduction and how they apply the Wynne-Edwards theory of population control.
What is the origin of the word “meme?” How was the word used before it became a core part of our internet vernacular? The origin of the word “meme” comes from a Greek word. The first use of the word meme was in the book The Selfish Gene, but is now better known as a funny captioned image. Read more about the origin of the word “meme” and how it is used in The Selfish Gene.
What was the Pixar Imaging Computer? How did it fit into the original Pixar business model? Pixar wasn’t always focused on animation and movies. In the beginning, the Pixar Imaging Computer was an important part of the company even though it struggled. Keep reading for more about the Pixar Imaging Computer and what happened to it.
Why do animals reproduce? What goes into making these decisions and what is the ultimate goal? In The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins argues that nature and life are designed to keep replicating genes. So, why do animals reproduce? The selfish reason is to ensure the survival of their offspring. If you want to know, “why do animals reproduce,” keep reading for a discussion from The Selfish Gene.
What is territorial aggression? Is there an evolutionary explanation for why territorial aggression exists? Territorial aggression is an Evolutionarily Stable Strategy (ESS) in which a population of animals aggressively protects their territory and retreats when they enter the territory of another aggressive animal. The strategy is only stable if the whole animal population sticks to it. Read more about the evolutionary need for aggression, including territorial aggression.
Is there such a thing as selfish DNA? How can DNA or genes be selfish and whaat does selfishness have to do with reproduction? According to The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins, every behavior in nature can be explained by the concept of selfish DNA. Genes are just trying to copy themselves so behaviors support that goal. Keep reading for more about selfish DNA and how this theory is muddled by modern genetics.
Why didn’t NBC News air the Trump sexual assault recording? Did they deliberately cover it up? How long have they known? In 2016, the Donald Trump sexual assault recording—where he described how he would sexually harass women by “grabbing them by the pussy”—surfaced in the media. The story dominated all major headlines, except that of NBC News. Read about why NBC News hid the Trump sexual assault recording.
What was the Matt Lauer scandal? How long have NBC known and have they deliberately covered it up? The Matt Lauer scandal broke when Brooke Nevils told investigative reporter Ronan Farrow about Lauer’s ongoing sexual abuse. As it turned out, dozens of other women had been reporting Lauer’s behavior to higher-ups at NBC for years, but nothing came of it. Read more about Matt Lauer scandal and how NBC News covered it up.
Who is Ronan Farrow? How did he expose the biggest sexual assault case in Hollywood? In 2017, investigative reporter Ronan Farrow broke the story on the biggest sexual assault scandal to ever rock Hollywood. He exposed decades of sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood film producer and distributor Harvey Weinstein. Keep reading for more about Ronan Farrow and how he exposed the pattern of sexual assault by Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.